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Hikaru Utada performs "Sakura nagashi" live for the first time

Hiklaru Utada's performances of songs from Fantôme hasn't been doing the album favours. Because they're making me like live renditions more than the studio album versions. I stupidly thought that a live performance of "Sakura nagashi" wasn't going to give me anything more that the song hadn't already given me, only to come out the other side with my edges scraped.

I'm not sure whether it was Hikaru Utada giving birth, time or just living life between when she recorded "Sarkua nagashi" and when she began recording songs for Fantôme; but her voice definitely changed in that time, the changes of which were evident on "Manatsu no tooriame". So it's nice to hear Hikaru Utada perform "Sakura nagashi" which this life affected voice of hers. "Sakura nagashi" touched on life, death and motherhood between the song and its video. All things which coloured the song, but didn't directly impact her life until after she recorded the song. So this performance has a greater weight to it than the original recording and you can see it in Hiakru Utada's face as she sings - moments away from tears.

I've been so in love with "Mantasu no tooriame" that I've not listened to "Sakura nagashi" in a while, So it's nice to be reminded of how great a song it is.